Efforts at cumulative knowledge building in social gerontology have been lax, judging from resear... more Efforts at cumulative knowledge building in social gerontology have been lax, judging from research articles published in journals between 1990 and 1994. Too little attention has been paid to the cumulative development of theory; readers are left with many empirical generalizations but underdeveloped explanations by which to interpret findings and build upon them in subsequent research. To assist future theory development in social gerontology, we review seven theoretical perspectives referenced most frequently in recent journals: (1) social constructionist, (2) social exchange, (3) life course, (4) feminist, (5) age stratification (age and society), (6) political economy of aging, and (7) critical theory. We suggest that, taken together, these represent a "third generation" of explanation in social gerontology, noting their debt to older and more established traditions in social science theory. We argue that authors and journal reviewers should place more emphasis on theory development - which means, most simply, the construction of explicit explanations in accounting for empirical findings - if knowledge development about social aspects of aging is to be cumulative, systematic, and incremental.
Intergenerational solidarity and ambivalence paradigms suggest that emotional relationships betwe... more Intergenerational solidarity and ambivalence paradigms suggest that emotional relationships between generations consist of both positive and negative sentiments. We applied latent class analysis to measures of affection and conflict in 2,698 older parent - child relationships in 6 developed nations: England, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain, and the United States (Southern California). The best fitting model consisted of 4 latent classes distributed differently across nations but with a cross-nationally invariant measurement structure. After controlling for demographics, health, coresidence, contact, and support, the following classes were overrepresented in corresponding nations: amicable (England), detached (Germany and Spain), disharmonious (United States), ambivalent (Israel). We discuss policy and cultural differences across societies that may explain why the prevalence of particular emotional types varied by nation.
... Neugarten later expressed regret at having set age 75 or any particular age for the youngold-... more ... Neugarten later expressed regret at having set age 75 or any particular age for the youngold-old old division, since this could lead to stereotyping, but the terminology was widely adopted, creating two reified groupings that failed to capture diversity within and across these ...
This is a detailed table of contents. Many authors of chapters and features have contributed supp... more This is a detailed table of contents. Many authors of chapters and features have contributed supplemental material that extends their contributions that appear in the Sourcebook. We anticipate updating this periodically when new material is received from the authors, so check back at least once every six months. Some of this material assumes you have the Sourcebook. The additional material is highlighted in blue and may be called "supplemental material," "annotated bibliography," etc. All you need to do is click on these and they will open, usually as an Adobe PDF file (requiring acrobat reader). Some authors have multiple additional contributions such as a supplement and an annotated bibliography, so check out all of these. Some authors do not have any additional content and simply appear as part of the table of contents. If you use content authors have contributed as a supplement in a paper you write, you should cite their work and include it in your references...
... Perspectives on Intergenerational Relationships ROSEANN GIARRUSSO, MERRIL SILVERSTEIN, DAPHNA... more ... Perspectives on Intergenerational Relationships ROSEANN GIARRUSSO, MERRIL SILVERSTEIN, DAPHNA CANS AND VERN L. BENGTSON ... over the past quarter-century (eg Atkinson et al., 1986; Lee et al ... (1) Affectual solidarity: emotional closeness or the sen-timents and ...
Data from a comparative study of 5,450 young males in six developing nations were used to investi... more Data from a comparative study of 5,450 young males in six developing nations were used to investigate the association between modernization or modernity and negative attitudes toward aging. The findings question the frequent assertion that "modernity" (the exposure of individuals in developing nations to industrial technology and urban social experience) results in negative perceptions of aging and diminished value attributed to the aged. The data do provide support for the hypothesis that "modernization" (societal development) is related to negative perceptions of aging. Results suggest the necessity of differentiating between "modernization" and "modernity" as levels of analysis and of avoiding value-laden assumptions concerning advantages of either traditional or industrial social settings with respect to the position of elders.
Page 1. Journal of Gerontology 1972, Vol. 27, No. 4, 511-523 An Exploration of the Activity Theor... more Page 1. Journal of Gerontology 1972, Vol. 27, No. 4, 511-523 An Exploration of the Activity Theory of Aging: Activity Types and Life Satisfaction among In-Movers to a Retirement Community 1 Bruce W. Lemon, MA, 2 Vern L. Bengtson, PhD, 3 and James A. Peterson, PhD 3 ...
... 1 Vern L. Bengtson, PhD 2 . Jose B. Cuellar, PhD 3 , and Pauline K. Ragan, PhD 4 ... with the... more ... 1 Vern L. Bengtson, PhD 2 . Jose B. Cuellar, PhD 3 , and Pauline K. Ragan, PhD 4 ... with the research staff in an unusual instance of collaboration between academic researchers and minority community repre-sentatives spanning over 4 years (Bengtson, Corry, Grigsby, & Hruby ...
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
264 Conclusion One of the greatest uncertainties for the twenty-first century is who will support... more 264 Conclusion One of the greatest uncertainties for the twenty-first century is who will support and care for the increasing elderly population around the world. While world-wide processes of industrialization and urbanization have set in motion the phenomenon of ...
Efforts at cumulative knowledge building in social gerontology have been lax, judging from resear... more Efforts at cumulative knowledge building in social gerontology have been lax, judging from research articles published in journals between 1990 and 1994. Too little attention has been paid to the cumulative development of theory; readers are left with many empirical generalizations but underdeveloped explanations by which to interpret findings and build upon them in subsequent research. To assist future theory development in social gerontology, we review seven theoretical perspectives referenced most frequently in recent journals: (1) social constructionist, (2) social exchange, (3) life course, (4) feminist, (5) age stratification (age and society), (6) political economy of aging, and (7) critical theory. We suggest that, taken together, these represent a "third generation" of explanation in social gerontology, noting their debt to older and more established traditions in social science theory. We argue that authors and journal reviewers should place more emphasis on theory development - which means, most simply, the construction of explicit explanations in accounting for empirical findings - if knowledge development about social aspects of aging is to be cumulative, systematic, and incremental.
Intergenerational solidarity and ambivalence paradigms suggest that emotional relationships betwe... more Intergenerational solidarity and ambivalence paradigms suggest that emotional relationships between generations consist of both positive and negative sentiments. We applied latent class analysis to measures of affection and conflict in 2,698 older parent - child relationships in 6 developed nations: England, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain, and the United States (Southern California). The best fitting model consisted of 4 latent classes distributed differently across nations but with a cross-nationally invariant measurement structure. After controlling for demographics, health, coresidence, contact, and support, the following classes were overrepresented in corresponding nations: amicable (England), detached (Germany and Spain), disharmonious (United States), ambivalent (Israel). We discuss policy and cultural differences across societies that may explain why the prevalence of particular emotional types varied by nation.
... Neugarten later expressed regret at having set age 75 or any particular age for the youngold-... more ... Neugarten later expressed regret at having set age 75 or any particular age for the youngold-old old division, since this could lead to stereotyping, but the terminology was widely adopted, creating two reified groupings that failed to capture diversity within and across these ...
This is a detailed table of contents. Many authors of chapters and features have contributed supp... more This is a detailed table of contents. Many authors of chapters and features have contributed supplemental material that extends their contributions that appear in the Sourcebook. We anticipate updating this periodically when new material is received from the authors, so check back at least once every six months. Some of this material assumes you have the Sourcebook. The additional material is highlighted in blue and may be called "supplemental material," "annotated bibliography," etc. All you need to do is click on these and they will open, usually as an Adobe PDF file (requiring acrobat reader). Some authors have multiple additional contributions such as a supplement and an annotated bibliography, so check out all of these. Some authors do not have any additional content and simply appear as part of the table of contents. If you use content authors have contributed as a supplement in a paper you write, you should cite their work and include it in your references...
... Perspectives on Intergenerational Relationships ROSEANN GIARRUSSO, MERRIL SILVERSTEIN, DAPHNA... more ... Perspectives on Intergenerational Relationships ROSEANN GIARRUSSO, MERRIL SILVERSTEIN, DAPHNA CANS AND VERN L. BENGTSON ... over the past quarter-century (eg Atkinson et al., 1986; Lee et al ... (1) Affectual solidarity: emotional closeness or the sen-timents and ...
Data from a comparative study of 5,450 young males in six developing nations were used to investi... more Data from a comparative study of 5,450 young males in six developing nations were used to investigate the association between modernization or modernity and negative attitudes toward aging. The findings question the frequent assertion that "modernity" (the exposure of individuals in developing nations to industrial technology and urban social experience) results in negative perceptions of aging and diminished value attributed to the aged. The data do provide support for the hypothesis that "modernization" (societal development) is related to negative perceptions of aging. Results suggest the necessity of differentiating between "modernization" and "modernity" as levels of analysis and of avoiding value-laden assumptions concerning advantages of either traditional or industrial social settings with respect to the position of elders.
Page 1. Journal of Gerontology 1972, Vol. 27, No. 4, 511-523 An Exploration of the Activity Theor... more Page 1. Journal of Gerontology 1972, Vol. 27, No. 4, 511-523 An Exploration of the Activity Theory of Aging: Activity Types and Life Satisfaction among In-Movers to a Retirement Community 1 Bruce W. Lemon, MA, 2 Vern L. Bengtson, PhD, 3 and James A. Peterson, PhD 3 ...
... 1 Vern L. Bengtson, PhD 2 . Jose B. Cuellar, PhD 3 , and Pauline K. Ragan, PhD 4 ... with the... more ... 1 Vern L. Bengtson, PhD 2 . Jose B. Cuellar, PhD 3 , and Pauline K. Ragan, PhD 4 ... with the research staff in an unusual instance of collaboration between academic researchers and minority community repre-sentatives spanning over 4 years (Bengtson, Corry, Grigsby, & Hruby ...
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
264 Conclusion One of the greatest uncertainties for the twenty-first century is who will support... more 264 Conclusion One of the greatest uncertainties for the twenty-first century is who will support and care for the increasing elderly population around the world. While world-wide processes of industrialization and urbanization have set in motion the phenomenon of ...
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